Again - I need to be quick since I'm really behind! Here's a few details of our Christmas in 2014.
We spent the evening at Michael & Leisa's house this year. We are thinking of alternating, every other year sleeping over there so we can also have some Christmas mornings at our place some years. We always get new pajamas. Noah got some glow in the dark dinosaur pjs. We always have a really tasty breakfast over there too! Yum.
We came back to our place to open more gifts here. We got Noah some cute toys we thought he'd love. For the first time I can even remember (at least here in Salt Lake) it started snowing right when we were opening our presents. We could see it so well right in our big window and it was BEAUTIFUL! It was like a Christmas miracle, haha. Especially since we hadn't had much snow at all that Winter. It was perfect.
Later on that day we went over to my mom's place. We spent time with her and Carl. Jared & Lorin came as well.
I love Christmas with kids. It makes it so much more special.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Congratulations Jared and Lorin!
Because of time, I need to be short - here is my brief overview of the wedding!
Jared and Lorin got married right before Christmas! It was such a beautiful wedding. They had their sealing at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in the morning. The sealing was so lovely, it's such a cool thing to watch your siblings and close ones get sealed in the temple. I love being in the temple with my family.
Their luncheon was at This Is The Place Heritage Park as well as their reception. The luncheon was a very intimate gathering with close family and friends and there were some beautiful toasts and words shared and I was in tears a few times. We had soup and salad and a yummy dessert.
The Reception was great. This Is The Place is such a cool spot to have your wedding. I love the atmosphere and old architecture. The little building the reception was in was so cute! There were lots of desserts and a hot chocolate bar. They had a pretty crazy dance fest at the end.
I'm so happy for both of them! Lorin is such a fun and happy girl. We really love her. And I have to say it - I can't wait for them to have babies, haha!
Pregnancy #2
In the middle of September we found out we were expecting a baby at the end of May! It seemed like a long ways away. And although we were super thrilled, we were okay with the wait :) It was a little bit different than the feeling I had when I first found out I was pregnant with Noah.
The beginning of my pregnancy was a bit more rough than my pregnancy with Noah. I had some nausea (but thankfully no throwing up again) and extreme fatigue. But I also had a toddler I had to take care of. It didn't last too long though. I also had some crazy cravings in the beginning, which I didn't really have with Noah. Everything from burgers to Pho to Indian food.
I was also gaining weight at a much faster weight. I was a bit worried to be honest. I thought at the rate I was going, I'd end up gaining much more this time. But by my second trimester it slowed down and by the end of my pregnancy I had only gained about 5 more pounds than I did with Noah. But I started out around 7 pounds less than I was with Noah - so I ended up around the same. Kind of funny how that worked.
Another comparison - with Noah I felt really amazing the whole time, during the day at least. The last month or so was difficult to sleep but it really wasn't so bad (it was mostly that Noah would kick me so hard and when I would be laying down it hurt me. Well Oliver did that too, and worse!) I LOVED being pregnant and missed it after Noah was born. But with Oliver, I started to not feel the best right when I entered my third trimester. I just felt big, and tired, with some sciatic nerve pain and was anxious to get my non-pregnant body back. I also had a few weird symptoms/pains in the end that I didn't get with Noah. But overall, I'd say I have relatively easy pregnancies and I shouldn't complain.
We found out we were having a boy in December and we had a fun gender reveal party. At first I was kind of disappointed because I've wanted a girl since the beginning. But that quickly went away and obviously I was excited to meet our baby boy.
The name game was the main issue I have with boys. I knew how hard of a time we had with Noah and was really not looking forward to that again. Especially after we had already picked our only boy name we truly loved - now what were we supposed to do. We had a few on our list that we kind of liked but nothing was really standing out to us. We would ask Noah what we should name the baby and gave him some of the names we liked - I liked Luca and would ask if we should name baby Luca. Well, that name stuck and he would always say the baby's name was Luca. Even after our baby was born he would still tell people his name was Luca! Haha.
During my pregnancy, Noah was always really interested in my belly. He loved to touch and look at my belly and seemed to somehow understand that there was a baby inside. He liked to give the baby (my belly) hugs and talk to baby. He would always demand that I get the baby out! He said he wanted to hold him and play with him. It was really sweet. But I anticipated that once the baby was here things would change.
My pregnancy went much faster this time thankfully, and I'm thankful we had no complications and I was again able to work the entire time. In fact, I shot a wedding 3 weeks before my due date!
The beginning of my pregnancy was a bit more rough than my pregnancy with Noah. I had some nausea (but thankfully no throwing up again) and extreme fatigue. But I also had a toddler I had to take care of. It didn't last too long though. I also had some crazy cravings in the beginning, which I didn't really have with Noah. Everything from burgers to Pho to Indian food.
I was also gaining weight at a much faster weight. I was a bit worried to be honest. I thought at the rate I was going, I'd end up gaining much more this time. But by my second trimester it slowed down and by the end of my pregnancy I had only gained about 5 more pounds than I did with Noah. But I started out around 7 pounds less than I was with Noah - so I ended up around the same. Kind of funny how that worked.
Another comparison - with Noah I felt really amazing the whole time, during the day at least. The last month or so was difficult to sleep but it really wasn't so bad (it was mostly that Noah would kick me so hard and when I would be laying down it hurt me. Well Oliver did that too, and worse!) I LOVED being pregnant and missed it after Noah was born. But with Oliver, I started to not feel the best right when I entered my third trimester. I just felt big, and tired, with some sciatic nerve pain and was anxious to get my non-pregnant body back. I also had a few weird symptoms/pains in the end that I didn't get with Noah. But overall, I'd say I have relatively easy pregnancies and I shouldn't complain.
We found out we were having a boy in December and we had a fun gender reveal party. At first I was kind of disappointed because I've wanted a girl since the beginning. But that quickly went away and obviously I was excited to meet our baby boy.
The name game was the main issue I have with boys. I knew how hard of a time we had with Noah and was really not looking forward to that again. Especially after we had already picked our only boy name we truly loved - now what were we supposed to do. We had a few on our list that we kind of liked but nothing was really standing out to us. We would ask Noah what we should name the baby and gave him some of the names we liked - I liked Luca and would ask if we should name baby Luca. Well, that name stuck and he would always say the baby's name was Luca. Even after our baby was born he would still tell people his name was Luca! Haha.
During my pregnancy, Noah was always really interested in my belly. He loved to touch and look at my belly and seemed to somehow understand that there was a baby inside. He liked to give the baby (my belly) hugs and talk to baby. He would always demand that I get the baby out! He said he wanted to hold him and play with him. It was really sweet. But I anticipated that once the baby was here things would change.
My pregnancy went much faster this time thankfully, and I'm thankful we had no complications and I was again able to work the entire time. In fact, I shot a wedding 3 weeks before my due date!
Yellow Finch Photography
I graduated from Fotofly Academy at the end of September. Yay! It was such a great experience. I can't believe I went from being a complete amateur, knowing very little about photography to being able to call myself a professional in just over three months.
We learned all about lighting. We learned what flat light is, and how to avoid that to make our pictures look more evolved. We learned about posing and how to pose different ages of children, including newborns. We learned how to make people laugh - which is especially needed when it comes to toddlers and babies. We learned about depth of field, composition, framing and all of that fun stuff. We learned the basics of wedding photography and how to create stylistic bridal images.
And that's just a small portion of what we were taught. It was so beneficial for me to take this class. It would have taken me years to learn this stuff on my own, plus I didn't have to worry about being led the complete wrong way.
I officially started my business in October - Yellow Finch Photography. Finch obviously from my last name, and yellow is just a color that I love, and to me it means happiness, bright, and full of life. My friend Cindy Bean designed me a really beautiful logo! She gave me around 10 sketches to choose from. It was a hard decision because they were all so pretty but I'm really happy with the one I chose.
I was actually pretty busy in the Fall and early Winter, doing around 1-2 sessions a week. Things slowed down a bit after Christmas but they're starting to pick back up now that Spring has arrived. I don't want to over book myself before this baby arrives though, since I still have so much to do around the house and everything to prepare for this baby. But I'm really excited for the sessions I have over the next couple of months, including another wedding in May.
My favorite type of session has probably become newborns. I just love how sweet and small and new they are. And you can use some pretty fun props. I also really love engagement sessions because you are just emphasizing all the love and excitement they have for what's in store.
I feel so blessed to be able to say that I'm following my dream. I can't tell you how long I've dreamt about being a photographer. I love that I can work as much or as little as I want to. I still have time to be home with my family and I don't have to put Noah in daycare. It's just a dream come true. And I will be able to take better pictures now of my own family over the years.
We learned all about lighting. We learned what flat light is, and how to avoid that to make our pictures look more evolved. We learned about posing and how to pose different ages of children, including newborns. We learned how to make people laugh - which is especially needed when it comes to toddlers and babies. We learned about depth of field, composition, framing and all of that fun stuff. We learned the basics of wedding photography and how to create stylistic bridal images.
And that's just a small portion of what we were taught. It was so beneficial for me to take this class. It would have taken me years to learn this stuff on my own, plus I didn't have to worry about being led the complete wrong way.
I officially started my business in October - Yellow Finch Photography. Finch obviously from my last name, and yellow is just a color that I love, and to me it means happiness, bright, and full of life. My friend Cindy Bean designed me a really beautiful logo! She gave me around 10 sketches to choose from. It was a hard decision because they were all so pretty but I'm really happy with the one I chose.
I was actually pretty busy in the Fall and early Winter, doing around 1-2 sessions a week. Things slowed down a bit after Christmas but they're starting to pick back up now that Spring has arrived. I don't want to over book myself before this baby arrives though, since I still have so much to do around the house and everything to prepare for this baby. But I'm really excited for the sessions I have over the next couple of months, including another wedding in May.
My favorite type of session has probably become newborns. I just love how sweet and small and new they are. And you can use some pretty fun props. I also really love engagement sessions because you are just emphasizing all the love and excitement they have for what's in store.
I feel so blessed to be able to say that I'm following my dream. I can't tell you how long I've dreamt about being a photographer. I love that I can work as much or as little as I want to. I still have time to be home with my family and I don't have to put Noah in daycare. It's just a dream come true. And I will be able to take better pictures now of my own family over the years.
Fall 2014
GARDEN:
We finished up the Steenblik garden in October. We felt super blessed to be able to share and participate in our friends' garden. We loved it so much (especially me!). Jake and Jenny are such great friends to us and we're lucky to have them in our life. Their family garden is beautiful (and huge) and it was so much fun learning and seeing the garden grow over the warm months. The nice thing is that it's practically across the street from our house - just behind the park.
We brought in so much produce and Jenny was able to teach me how to can! I was able to do lots of canning which makes me so so happy. In October we were able to pick some pumpkins and squash for some festive decorating and pumpkin carving - and lots of squash eating. Noah also loved to play at the garden with his friend Scarlett. Looking forward to starting again next Spring!
HALLOWEEN:
Noah's second Halloween was a fun one. We went to the county jail again with grandma Connie. They have Halloween festivities going on for kids. Noah was able to ride on a train!
My mom and the Olsen's came over one day to carve pumpkins.
I couldn't figure out Noah's costume for a while. Since he's so small, it was hard to find a costume that was small enough for him but wasn't a baby costume. I ended up just going to the DI and getting some stuff to make a hippie costume the day before Halloween. It actually worked out good and ended up being really cute. Super easy.
We took him trick or treating for the first time. It was so much fun! We only went to a few houses around the neighborhood, mostly people from the ward. But he loved it.
There was however some bittersweet feelings about trick or treating. Since it was the first time we actually really allowed him to eat candy... he actually learned the word candy and it all went down hill from there. No, not really. But that was when he really discovered the sweet taste of "nanny" as he calls it. And started asking for candy every day.
But obviously trick or treating is a big part of a kids' life - it was for me! We really loved taking him out. It's so cute watching them experience things for the first time.
After trick or treating, we went to Michael & Leisa's place to say hi and eat some chili. Noah always loves going to see grandpa and grammies.
Our last stop was at a Halloween party. Jake and Jenny invited us to their friend's party. They had the movie Hotel Transylvania playing on a projector and had lots of Halloween treats. Noah liked playing with the other kids.
SOPHIA'S BAPTISM:
Our sweet niece, Sophia Olsen got baptized on November 2nd. I can't believe this girl is 8! She has grown up so fast it is insane. She's such a sweetheart and I'm so grateful for her. She has always made me laugh and she's one smart cookie.
She was baptized by her dad, John and we were all there to support her on her special day. Congrats Sophia!
OUR NEW PET:
November 2nd was significant to us in another way as well. After the baptism we took Noah to the Humane Society. We decided earlier that week that we were going to get a cat for Noah. He has always loved both cats and dogs. But we decided a dog would be too much work for us right now. A cat would be just perfect for us (so we thought at least)
We were there for a while and could not decide which one to get - do we go with an older cat, a 1 year old or an itty bitty kitty. We fell in love with a tan-ish colored kitten and decided to bring her home. We were hesitant about getting a kitten because Noah wanted to pick her up and carry her around every waking moment. She didn't mind though, she was not a timid cat. We figured she would grow so fast that it would be okay.
At first it was a lot of work but it got a bit easier as far as watching Noah around her. The bigger she gets the harder it is for Noah to pick her up. And of course we made sure to teach him to be nice and gentle (not saying he's never tried to pull her tail... ).
Fast forward a few months and we're a little on the fence about what to do with Jovi. She can be very aggressive and extremely playful, although it doesn't seem like she's playing - it seems more like she hates us and wants to kill us. We've been trying to give it time but we're just not sure what we're going to do when the baby is here because she can be dangerous. We end up having to put her downstairs for a lot of the day because she just attacks us. Which in turn probably makes her more aggressive since she's not getting enough attention? So it's a tricky situation. Noah really, really loves her still despite her scratching him up daily. So I would feel really bad giving her away. Not sure what to do!
FAMILY PHOTOS:
My friend, Jen from school took our family photos this year. We needed some cute announcement ideas for baby Finch #2. We did them at Murray Park. They turned out cute. Thanks Caylia Photo!
We brought in so much produce and Jenny was able to teach me how to can! I was able to do lots of canning which makes me so so happy. In October we were able to pick some pumpkins and squash for some festive decorating and pumpkin carving - and lots of squash eating. Noah also loved to play at the garden with his friend Scarlett. Looking forward to starting again next Spring!
These pears and plums were from our tree in the backyard
HALLOWEEN:
Noah's second Halloween was a fun one. We went to the county jail again with grandma Connie. They have Halloween festivities going on for kids. Noah was able to ride on a train!
My mom and the Olsen's came over one day to carve pumpkins.
I couldn't figure out Noah's costume for a while. Since he's so small, it was hard to find a costume that was small enough for him but wasn't a baby costume. I ended up just going to the DI and getting some stuff to make a hippie costume the day before Halloween. It actually worked out good and ended up being really cute. Super easy.
We took him trick or treating for the first time. It was so much fun! We only went to a few houses around the neighborhood, mostly people from the ward. But he loved it.
There was however some bittersweet feelings about trick or treating. Since it was the first time we actually really allowed him to eat candy... he actually learned the word candy and it all went down hill from there. No, not really. But that was when he really discovered the sweet taste of "nanny" as he calls it. And started asking for candy every day.
But obviously trick or treating is a big part of a kids' life - it was for me! We really loved taking him out. It's so cute watching them experience things for the first time.
After trick or treating, we went to Michael & Leisa's place to say hi and eat some chili. Noah always loves going to see grandpa and grammies.
Our last stop was at a Halloween party. Jake and Jenny invited us to their friend's party. They had the movie Hotel Transylvania playing on a projector and had lots of Halloween treats. Noah liked playing with the other kids.
SOPHIA'S BAPTISM:
Our sweet niece, Sophia Olsen got baptized on November 2nd. I can't believe this girl is 8! She has grown up so fast it is insane. She's such a sweetheart and I'm so grateful for her. She has always made me laugh and she's one smart cookie.
She was baptized by her dad, John and we were all there to support her on her special day. Congrats Sophia!
OUR NEW PET:
November 2nd was significant to us in another way as well. After the baptism we took Noah to the Humane Society. We decided earlier that week that we were going to get a cat for Noah. He has always loved both cats and dogs. But we decided a dog would be too much work for us right now. A cat would be just perfect for us (so we thought at least)
We were there for a while and could not decide which one to get - do we go with an older cat, a 1 year old or an itty bitty kitty. We fell in love with a tan-ish colored kitten and decided to bring her home. We were hesitant about getting a kitten because Noah wanted to pick her up and carry her around every waking moment. She didn't mind though, she was not a timid cat. We figured she would grow so fast that it would be okay.
At first it was a lot of work but it got a bit easier as far as watching Noah around her. The bigger she gets the harder it is for Noah to pick her up. And of course we made sure to teach him to be nice and gentle (not saying he's never tried to pull her tail... ).
Fast forward a few months and we're a little on the fence about what to do with Jovi. She can be very aggressive and extremely playful, although it doesn't seem like she's playing - it seems more like she hates us and wants to kill us. We've been trying to give it time but we're just not sure what we're going to do when the baby is here because she can be dangerous. We end up having to put her downstairs for a lot of the day because she just attacks us. Which in turn probably makes her more aggressive since she's not getting enough attention? So it's a tricky situation. Noah really, really loves her still despite her scratching him up daily. So I would feel really bad giving her away. Not sure what to do!
FAMILY PHOTOS:
My friend, Jen from school took our family photos this year. We needed some cute announcement ideas for baby Finch #2. We did them at Murray Park. They turned out cute. Thanks Caylia Photo!
Summer Calgary Trip
I can't believe how behind I am on my blog. It's December 29th and I haven't blogged since the Summer. So the next few posts will be the result of me writing super quick to try to get the year finished.
We hit up Calgary in the middle of July for a quick but fun, long weekend. One of my good friend's from High School, Mandi, was getting married. So we figured it was the perfect opportunity to make a trip up there. My little cousin, Koby also came with us so he could spend time with cousins up there. Taking out time for driving, we were only there for 3 days. So we were definitely rushed trying to see everyone and do everything we wanted to do. But it was still worth it. Next time we'll try to stay longer.
We hit up Calgary in the middle of July for a quick but fun, long weekend. One of my good friend's from High School, Mandi, was getting married. So we figured it was the perfect opportunity to make a trip up there. My little cousin, Koby also came with us so he could spend time with cousins up there. Taking out time for driving, we were only there for 3 days. So we were definitely rushed trying to see everyone and do everything we wanted to do. But it was still worth it. Next time we'll try to stay longer.
We stayed with the Velazquez family - it was so great to spend time with my aunt & uncle and my cousins who I don't see very often. They are such a fun, loving family. You can really feel the spirit in their home. And their place is right by the new Calgary temple! Maybe that's why :)
We got to go to the Calgary Stampede for a few hours the first night we arrived. We met with my good friend Andreia, and her boyfriend. That was really nice - Andreia was like a sister to me and I can't imagine going through Jr High and High School without her.
On Saturday we were doing wedding stuff all day so we were able to spend time with my friends pretty much all day. They all loved meeting Noah. The wedding was really beautiful. Mandi and Hunter seem so happy together! I'm so happy for them.
We went to attend my old ward on Sunday, and I saw many familiar faces, including Bishop and Robin Purnell! It brought back a lot of memories. There are/were so many awesome people in that ward.
We were able to visit with a few families that I love, including the Hawryluk's and the Noblet's. They were both in the 13th ward when Jared and I lived there and they were both such amazing role models to us in our youth. I have so much love, gratitude and admiration for them!
We were also able to make a visit over to Gayle and Fraser's house. Debbie was there also. What wonderful people they are. They welcomed us with homemade cookies and gifts for us to take home. It was nice for them to finally meet Derek and Noah. It seems like as I get older, the more appreciation and understanding I have for my extended family. I'm grateful for them.
On Monday we spent the day with the Velazquez's. We went to COP (Surprisingly it was my first time really up there). They had a slide-a-ma-bob-thingy that was pretty fun. We also met with Enoc for his lunch break and had Chinese buffet. I'm glad we had that extra time to spend with them.
Noah didn't do too bad on the drive. Especially for the fact that he had all four molars popping through during the trip. We drove mostly at night but both ways we stopped in a hotel for a few hours.
I'm so glad we were able to visit Calgary! While I was there it really hit me how blessed I was while I was living there. Looking back, I had so many wonderful, amazing people that were there for me. I know that Heavenly Father was truly looking after me and blessed me so much so that I could eventually be led to the life that I have today. For this, I am forever grateful.
We got to go to the Calgary Stampede for a few hours the first night we arrived. We met with my good friend Andreia, and her boyfriend. That was really nice - Andreia was like a sister to me and I can't imagine going through Jr High and High School without her.
On Saturday we were doing wedding stuff all day so we were able to spend time with my friends pretty much all day. They all loved meeting Noah. The wedding was really beautiful. Mandi and Hunter seem so happy together! I'm so happy for them.
We went to attend my old ward on Sunday, and I saw many familiar faces, including Bishop and Robin Purnell! It brought back a lot of memories. There are/were so many awesome people in that ward.
We were able to visit with a few families that I love, including the Hawryluk's and the Noblet's. They were both in the 13th ward when Jared and I lived there and they were both such amazing role models to us in our youth. I have so much love, gratitude and admiration for them!
We were also able to make a visit over to Gayle and Fraser's house. Debbie was there also. What wonderful people they are. They welcomed us with homemade cookies and gifts for us to take home. It was nice for them to finally meet Derek and Noah. It seems like as I get older, the more appreciation and understanding I have for my extended family. I'm grateful for them.
On Monday we spent the day with the Velazquez's. We went to COP (Surprisingly it was my first time really up there). They had a slide-a-ma-bob-thingy that was pretty fun. We also met with Enoc for his lunch break and had Chinese buffet. I'm glad we had that extra time to spend with them.
Noah didn't do too bad on the drive. Especially for the fact that he had all four molars popping through during the trip. We drove mostly at night but both ways we stopped in a hotel for a few hours.
I'm so glad we were able to visit Calgary! While I was there it really hit me how blessed I was while I was living there. Looking back, I had so many wonderful, amazing people that were there for me. I know that Heavenly Father was truly looking after me and blessed me so much so that I could eventually be led to the life that I have today. For this, I am forever grateful.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Tory + Vanessa {A Beautiful Summer Wedding}
Tory and Vanessa tied the knot on June 21st, the first day of Summer. Their wedding was held at East Canyon Resort where we spend many of our Summer weekends. They asked me to shoot their wedding pictures for them, which obviously was a huge deal to me. I was nervous I wasn't going to do a good job since I've never shot a wedding for one, and second because I just got my new camera that week and wasn't completely used to it yet. And this is just on top of the fact that I'm still learning and improving my photography skills, and I would be shooting the wedding after only 3 days of school. But I was still excited and appreciated the offer. I also thought the practice and experience would be beneficial to me.
Anyway, the wedding was lots of fun. I love when our family is all together. Especially at East Canyon. The weather was perfect, Tory and Vanessa looked great and I think the pictures turned out pretty good.
Congrats Tory and Vanessa!
Anyway, the wedding was lots of fun. I love when our family is all together. Especially at East Canyon. The weather was perfect, Tory and Vanessa looked great and I think the pictures turned out pretty good.
Congrats Tory and Vanessa!
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